Indiana man found guilty of killing his girlfriend, burying her in shallow grave at his workplace
02/17/2023 3:49 pm PST
BARTHOLOMEW COUNTY, Ind. (TCD) -- A 40-year-old man was recently found guilty of killing his 37-year-old girlfriend, whose body was found in a shallow grave in 2021.
According to Bartholomew County Sheriff Chris Lane, on Sept. 9, 2021, Patrick Doyle was initially arrested for possession of child pornography, and while he was in custody, he confessed to a detective that he killed his girlfriend, Heather Steuver.
Steuver was reported missing by her parents in late August 2021, and her body was later found in a shallow grave at Doyle's place of work, Lane said. An autopsy report reportedly revealed she died of blunt force trauma to the head, and her death was ruled a homicide.
After her body was found, investigators also located a pillowcase in a lake nearby with the victim's dentures, a T-shirt, her sandals, a pack of cigarettes, a lighter, and a sponge, WTHR-TV reports.
Investigators reportedly believe Doyle killed his girlfriend on or about Aug. 22, 2021, at a home on the 5500 block of County Road North 800 E before burying her body.
Doyle and Steuver lived together in an upstairs bedroom at Steuver's father's home, and the night of the slaying, they allegedly began to drink and argue, WTHR reports.
Doyle reportedly told police when he woke up, he noticed his girlfriend was dead next to him with purple skin and marks on her face. He denied knowing what happened to her because he said he passed out, WTHR reports.
Lane said Doyle has a criminal past, including a burglary conviction out of Indiana as well as an armed burglary conviction out of Florida.
On Friday, Feb. 17, Lane announced Doyle was found guilty of murder. His trial for the child pornography charges is reportedly scheduled for April 25.
In a statement, Lane said, "First my condolences to Heather’s family who suffered a tremendous loss with the murder of Heather, they are in my thoughts and prayers. My thanks goes to the hard working men and women of the Sheriff’s Office whose dedication resulted in a conviction in this case."
Lane continued, "I would like to recognize the Criminal Investigation Division in particular Det. Kevin Abner the lead detective. It is not every day that our community experiences an incident like this but when we do the citizens of Bartholomew County can be assured that the Sheriff’s Office will investigate till justice is served."
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